In hot environments, and particularly those where the air is also dry, it is often desirable to add mist or water droplets to the air in order to cool the air in a controlled area. This cooling affect is provided by the mist evaporating into the air. The energy required for evaporation is provided by the heat of the ambient air, resulting in cooler air by so called "evaporative cooling." The process of evaporative cooling is improved by further inducing a movement of air over the mist droplets. An induced airflow conveys and mixes the mist with ambient air thus increasing the volume of air that is subject to evaporative cooling.
As a secondary benefit, the moisture which is not completely evaporated in the air may contact the skin of the people in the area. Evaporative cooling will draw heat from the person's body, resulting in further cooling, which a movement of air will also enhance.
Accordingly, misting systems are known which both provide mist and which have a source of forced air. The forced air is apparently intended not only to convey and disperse the water droplets, but also to provide air movement to enhance the evaporative cooling effect. One such misting system, combining simple mist generation and forced air, is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. In that system, a high-power fan F is provided. A piping system P for water is disposed on the face of the fan F, and includes nozzles N. The piping system P is also connected to a water reservoir and pump R. Water is pumped from the reservoir R through the piping system P and to the nozzles N, from which it is atomized. The atomized water, represented as droplets in FIGS. 1 and 2 is thus dispersed into the airflow generated by the fan F, represented by arrows. The misted air is thus conveyed into the adjacent area, providing not only mist, but also air movement to enhance evaporative cooling. However, the effective area of such a system may be limited. Further, the concentration of atomized water is high adjacent the fan F, but drops off with increasing distance from the fan.
In another existing system, a conduit in the form of a fabric tube is coupled to a source of forced air, and includes periodic openings to allow the forced air to escape. Mist is then sprayed inside the tube adjacent the source of forced air. The misted air is intended to be conveyed along the tube, and escape from the spaced openings. While this does occur on a limited basis, the water tends to condense inside of the tube, and to concentrate in the tube adjacent the place where the mist is introduced.